Warranty tracker for a battery pack
First Claim
1. A battery pack, comprising:
- a plurality of battery modules, each battery module including a plurality of battery cells;
a plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers, each battery module controller mounted on a respective battery module of the plurality of battery modules;
a battery pack controller coupled to the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers via a wire or cable to form a communication network;
a memory device configured to store a cumulative warranty value representing cumulative battery usage of the battery pack; and
a warranty tracker, implemented within the battery pack controller, configured to;
periodically receive at least one of a voltage measurement and a temperature measurement from each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers for the respective battery module of the plurality of battery modules, and an electric current measurement indicating a rate of charge or discharge of the battery pack;
normalize at least one of the voltage measurement and the temperature measurement from each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers based on a predefined conversion function to generate at least one of a voltage factor and a temperature factor for each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers;
calculate a new warranty value representing usage of the battery pack for a period of time using at least the voltage factor or the temperature factor for each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers; and
add the new warranty value to the cumulative warranty value stored in the memory device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for a warranty tracker embedded in a battery pack. In an embodiment, the warranty tracker may include a memory device and a warranty controller. The warranty controller may receive an electric current measurement indicating a rate of charge or discharge of the battery pack from a device that is external to the battery pack. A warranty value may then be calculated using the received electric current measurement and added to a stored cumulative warranty value. The memory device may store the cumulative warranty value, which may be used to evaluate warranty conditions. In various embodiments, the warranty tracker may also include a temperature sensor and/or a voltage sensor. The warranty controller may then use received temperature and/or voltage measurements in the calculation of the warranty value. In an embodiment, the stored cumulative warranty value may be used to determine expiration of a warranty.
87 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A battery pack, comprising:
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a plurality of battery modules, each battery module including a plurality of battery cells; a plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers, each battery module controller mounted on a respective battery module of the plurality of battery modules; a battery pack controller coupled to the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers via a wire or cable to form a communication network; a memory device configured to store a cumulative warranty value representing cumulative battery usage of the battery pack; and a warranty tracker, implemented within the battery pack controller, configured to; periodically receive at least one of a voltage measurement and a temperature measurement from each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers for the respective battery module of the plurality of battery modules, and an electric current measurement indicating a rate of charge or discharge of the battery pack; normalize at least one of the voltage measurement and the temperature measurement from each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers based on a predefined conversion function to generate at least one of a voltage factor and a temperature factor for each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers; calculate a new warranty value representing usage of the battery pack for a period of time using at least the voltage factor or the temperature factor for each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers; and add the new warranty value to the cumulative warranty value stored in the memory device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for providing warranty tracking for a battery pack, the battery pack including a plurality of battery modules each containing a plurality of battery cells, a plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers each mounted on a respective battery module of the plurality of battery modules, a battery pack controller coupled to the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers via a wire or cable to form a communication network, and a warranty tracker implemented within the battery pack controller, the method comprising:
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periodically receiving, by the warranty tracker, at least one of a voltage measurement and a temperature measurement from each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers of the battery pack, and an electric current measurement indicating a rate of charge or discharge of the battery pack; normalizing at least one of the voltage measurement and the temperature measurement from each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers based on a predefined conversion function to generate at least one of a voltage factor and a temperature factor for each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers; calculating, by the warranty tracker, a warranty value representing usage of the battery pack for a period of time using at least the voltage factor or the temperature factor for each of the plurality of daisy-chained battery module controllers, and adding, by the warranty tracker, the calculated warranty value to a cumulative warranty value stored in a memory device of the battery pack, the cumulative warranty value representing cumulative battery usage of the battery pack. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification